Shards
by gelfling
Summary: Assortment of Envycentric fics, featuring other Sins. Some GreedEnvy. Some spoilers for series, animeverse, anime Wrath.
1. Duty

**Duty**  
_FMA_  
Envy/Greed  
PG-13  
On first impressions and how meeting new people was always a new challenge, especially when you had to kill them later. Envy-centric, slightly funny, slightly sick, working with Greed is so much fun. Pre-anime by 200 years, different Lust and Sloth, same Envy, Gluttony, and Greed.  
407 words

For kotori chan.

Envy was going to have to kill the new sin. He wasn't sure _how_ yet, he hadn't met the guy yet or learned his weaknesses, but he was going to have to.

Lust wanted him (but then Lust wanted everyone, the normal question mark over Gluttony). Their Master was proud of him. Gluttony was nervous around him.  
There was no other reasonable choice. He was going to have to.

Then Envy met Greed and found that he was handsome.

Not _stylish_ or mysterious or drop-fucking-dead fabulously gorgeous like Envy was, but…handsome. In a rough animalistic way, tall, rangy and broad in the shoulders. Disdainfully sexy, coarse but somewhat…intelligent. Cunning, in an undercooked kind of way. Friendly. Straightforward. Nearly indestructible.

Envy wore a hole in the floor, thinking how to kill him. Once he found the 'how to' he could work on the 'how to and not get caught or blamed' part', but the first part was giving him hell.

Lust had never been this hard to get rid of—Lust was always reliably _dumb_ and sexually hungry. Not so much that it was annoying, but enough to be useful.

"Well," Greed purred, looking mildly impressed the first time they met. "Who are you?"

He looked Envy up and down slowly, lingering on the space between Envy's knees and below his chest. Envy's skin crawled. Not even Lust looked at him like that; well, not anymore. Not since he'd burned off his face, anyway.

Envy held out his hand and gave his best--_the_ best—school boy smile that existed. He'd staged the meeting carefully; there was little chance of being overheard or interrupted. "Envy. I heard a lot about you."

Greed's hand felt like granite, felt like a lion's paw.

"They told me about you," Greed said conversationally when they let go, walking casually side by side with ease. His voice felt like cooked rum. "Said you were a sick son of a bitch that threw tantrums like a little boy. That our Maker should've destroyed you years ago."

"Did they now?" Envy encouraged eagerly, smiling, making a mental note to do something horrible to Lust and Sloth later. He was secretly thrilled: people _gossiped_ about him. "What else did they say?"

"Oh, plenty of things, _plenty_," Greed grinned back. "Mostly to stay away from you. Want to go to a bar?"

Envy laughed and took Greed's arm.

Killing Greed might not be so difficult after all.


	2. Sweets

**Sweets**  
_FMA_  
Envy killing 1st Pride  
There is such a thing as too much sugar and light, and when that happens the best thing to do is to toss the bit and burn the evidence. Nothing hurts like constantly second-guessing yourself. Slightly sick, slightly funny, lots of half-eaten candies. Pre-anime by about 150 years, with different Pride and Lust, same Envy, Greed, and Gluttony.  
580 words

Written for andarton.

Envy disliked sweets, which was why he unwrapped the bubblegum slowly, as if expecting the piece to jump up and spit on him. Half-eaten sweets and wrappers lay all around him.

He was humming the Wedding March in his throat, sometimes switching to opera pieces when he got bored. Behind him, the metal wall vibrated with the dull roar of the ship's engines, while beside him the ship's Brobdingnagian boiler kept the air hot inside damp chill of the boiler room and kept the ship moving.

The room was empty except for Envy chewing uncertainly, frowning charmingly, two dead sailors shoved in the closet, and the thing inside the boiler that was no longer screaming in rage but continued to kick and slam itself against the sides.

Envy blew a bubble. It was lopsided, small, and popped too quickly. He spat out the gum.

A death wail rose and echoed inside the…copper? Iron? Iron was stronger but copper didn't rust. Envy frowned thoughtfully. Then he selected a lemon drop.

Damn strong metal boiler anyway. Very thick walls. Able to withstand high punishing degrees of heat. And Pride hadn't been all that strong, physically.

Envy wondered how Pride had managed to keep her throat and lung wet and supple enough to scream. A little overdramatic in his book; Pride always was overdramatic.

Rapid thumps against the boiler's side meant the little tart was trying the good old last-minute escape a little too late.

Envy spat out the lemon drop and scraped his tongue with his teeth. He really hated candy. Gross stuff.

Silence, save for the engine humming and boiler pinging as it let off heat.

Envy tried a butterscotch and spat it out instantly, gagging.

He might get away with it. Their Maker had assigned them very different locations to manage, and Pride had never been the most _reliable_ of Sins, had a bad habit of going off on her own, investigating more than she was assigned, doing _extra credit_, as if they were getting _marks. _

Little bitch.

Envy cleaned off his fingers fastidiously, before trying another piece of gum.

Pride was worse than _Greed_ (and that was saying something), and if their Creator wasn't going to do anything about it, then he would. It was for the benefit of all, in the end. They didn't need someone who couldn't play for the team, there was too much to lose just for one little _girl's_ ego. She was weak, old and obsolete; Greed at least was new and still useful. It was for the good of them all. They'd thank him for it later, Envy was sure, if he ever got around to telling them. They'd thank him. They'd be glad.

Besides, Pride had been damn hard to kill, and accomplishing that _had_ to count for _something_. And she'd been throwing that Look at Envy a bit too much; that Crueler than Thou, Darker than You, Better than You Look and not even _bothering_ to hide it or lie about it. There was really no helping some people, and Pride had been beyond help since she'd been named and _looked_ at him like that.

This time, the bubblegum bubble turned out nearly right.

For a second, Envy was almost happy. Almost; so close and thick he could almost taste it in his heart (or whatever served as his heart now). Then he thought Greed might've found a more interesting, painful way for Pride to die, that Envy could've thought up something more original if he hadn't been in such a damn hurry, and the bubble popped.

A couple hours later, the ship sank.


	3. Product Warranty

**Product Warranty**  
_FMA_  
Envy/Greed  
NC-17 for lemon & language  
Good fish! Pre-anime by about 150 years. Envy finding all the things he really _hates_ about Greed are all really cool and should not be hated, or if they are hated should be done in a fabulous new way. Manipulative Greed is so much fun, very savvy.

For lykomancer, who can kick much.

Laughter exploded at the bar so raucous one of the gray hairs started choking so badly on his whiskey he stopped breathing. Because he remained seated and quiet and the racket was still loud and colorful, no one noticed for two full hours. Fists grimy with machine oil and studded with calluses and scars pounded the counter and shoulders, mouths agape with laughter showed holes where teeth should've been and black tar where teeth were. Cigar smoke of many plants soaked the air while the whiskey flowed as freely as the piss.

The crowd was centered around a tall seated man, trading filthy stories and dirty jokes with two young women of questionable virtue seated comfortably on either side. They were paid to laugh and make men happy, but tonight they were laughing for free.

Greed was having a good time. He liked people. They liked him. These were simple uncomplicated crooks and mechanics, his kind of people. They'd seen his teeth and eyes and called him a red-eyed demon slut until he'd corrected them, "I'm a demon whore, shitface, I'd do it for fucking _free_!"

They'd liked that.

Envy lurked in the shadows, reeking disapproval; they were there to gather raw materials, not make _friends_ with the raw materials. No one noticed him. He blended in perfectly. Greed didn't.

Everyone paid attention to Greed.

A week later, the town burned and smoked and Envy had Greed's knuckles imprinted along his ribs. Two bones had broken from the punch that sent him flying through fire and a plaster wall. He wasn't used to pain; it made him frantic, jittery. Envy leapt to his feet snarling, the smoke too thick for him to see or smell, but with that armor of his, the one Greed had surprised him with, Greed probably _could. _

Through sheer spite and vinegar, Envy managed to break through the shield to break Greed's arm. And while Envy was faster than Greed, more agile, he'd never seen Greed fight, and Greed was stronger and a lot harder to hurt.

Blood passed Envy's lips as he choked on something broken in his chest, quivering on the ground with stress and anger and more pain. He stayed quiet; it would give his position away, and Greed would be hunting him, trying to exploit the tiniest vulnerability and--

"What's going on?" Lust's voice broke the crackle of flames, liquid smooth suede, reeking masculinity, still hidden in the smoke. Envy froze.

"There was a problem," Greed's lazy drawl came from Envy's left, not more than five feet away and he still couldn't _see_ in the goddamned smoke! "Tell the Master the area's no longer usable. She'll have to find her alchemist new shit."

Greed was the rookie. Greed was the fucking _new guy_ and he was giving orders to _Lust? _

"Where's Envy?" Lust didn't sound insulted, or surprised. Envy felt his body chill for a whole new reason.

"Being the problem," Greed sighed, sounding tired. Sounding _annoyed_. And not in any pain. Blood flowed through Envy's mouth again, this time because he was grinding his teeth too hard. "Don't worry about it, sexy. I'll take care of it."

Envy darted through the smoke, following his ears because the fire didn't do much to _them_, one hand already curled and redesigned to something sharper. Greed's claw ripped through his abdomen and an elbow tore the top of his skull off. Greed had a fancy for decapitation.

When Envy came back to himself, Lust and Greed were gone.

It wasn't that Greed didn't _have _weaknesses, but more like Greed didn't _care_. 

Example; he liked people, he made friends easily, but killing his human friends and sending him bits didn't bother him, just annoyed him until he started playing bloody fetch with Gluttony. Substandard homunculi were possible; there'd been a Pride that hadn't lasted more a few years because it was…defective. The Master had designed it to _mimic_ humans, but it turned out too human to be of any use, and Gluttony and Envy had taken care of it. If Greed was defective, he hid it extremely well.

Tearing his room apart didn't work; it always looked like a maelstrom had just walked through, a mess of papers, pornographic reading materials, old food, new food, toys, gadgets, sex toys, junk, clothes (Greed had a lot of clothes), shoes (Greed had more shoes than clothes), and socks. Their Master had been pissed the few times Envy lit Greed's room on fire. She had scolded Envy in _front _of Greed, publicly. Greed had his head in her lap and pouting, and she'd promised Greed he'd get back everything he'd lost in the fire. And they would be brand new, and better than the old broken ones.

His throat had tightened so badly Envy couldn't speak. He kept his face blank, of course, but the anger thrummed through him, hungry.

Attacking Greed in his own room probably hadn't been the smartest thing in the world, but when all the bright ideas didn't work, sometimes the dumb ones did. Besides, Envy needed a clear head to think and beating up Greed would vent off frustrations.

Only Greed knew how to fight. Envy was faster, but he wasn't _built_ for attacking stronger opponents, he was _designed _to evade, to outsmart, but all his usual tricks hadn't worked.

Later he would convince himself that getting suffocated with Greed's sharp bony elbow in his throat, his legs bent painfully underneath and his wrists held in Greed's huge hand while the other's claws shoved his chest into the floor was entirely, completely, his own idea. That getting beat up was part of the plan, _his_ plan, his master plan to outwit and trap Greed. Envy would convince himself later.

At the moment, Envy could've gotten maybe_ one_ leg free, but only after breaking it. He couldn't stomach the thought. Red pearls welled up on his chest from Greed's claws, kneading his flesh like a cat so the wounds would heal up and open again like a bad piano duet. Greed was chuckling, looking sinister and shark-like.

Whatever else he resembled, Envy was beautiful. He knew that, knew that like a secret truth that bound the universe to reality. Greed, however, wasn't always handsome, but he did resemble a predator. Not always animalistic, not always aggressive or cannibalistic, but he was always a predator. Envy wasn't.

He felt sick. He would get angry later, but at the moment Envy was…

No. Envy kicked out, heard his bones creak and break and kept on struggling, the pain a minor worry in a huge avalanche of _bigger_ worry. Greed kept him down, but gently.

"She made me better than you," Greed breathed in his face, smelling like alcohol and dead meat. "I wonder why?"

Envy stopped struggling.

"What's the sell-by date on us anyway? How long do we last before our warranty wears out? How much longer until _she,_" Greed grinned, showing off beautifully sharp rows of shark teeth and leered like a wolf. "Throws you away?"

Greed was smarter than he let on. He'd figured it out earlier than Envy had predicted.

"We don't last forever. I already know about that. You've killed them before, the weaker ones…and she made me stronger than you. Better than you." Greed didn't add the 'I wonder why?' at the end of the sentence, but the question rang in Envy's skull like a church bell. Greed stare penetrated, dug, sifted and he didn't even look sad that he'd have to kill Envy, regretful after all the good times they'd had together, he looked_ bored. _

It was one thing to kill your friends because they got on your nerves; it was something else _entirely _when the double-faced sons of a bitch tried to off you just for the hell of it.

Envy kicked and yanked his arms with the brutal strength of those who have had one of the universe's grand and beautiful secret truths revealed to them and bloodied Greed's broken jaw with his elbow. Greed laughed; his thick full-bodied laugh. Envy kicked something soft and punched something that cracked and saw alternately red mist and white sparkles when Greed cracked their skulls together and focused in briefly to kick the side of Greed's head hard enough to twist his neck.

Greed fell on one knee, stunned, then grabbed Envy's wrist from _behind_ Greed's back and yanked over-arm. Envy skidded like a cat and fell on his feet. Greed stood, still smirking a shade proudly and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ouch. You got me that time. Snapped the brain stem right in half." Greed hooked one thumb in his belt loop and cocked his head to one side.

"I'll kill you first." Envy remained in a crouch, breathing hard. "I know what it takes."

"I know you do," Greed agreed quietly. "And you might. And I'd be dead, and how strong will be the next monster she cooks up for you? Pretty damn strong? Or just fast? Or maybe both?"

Envy didn't answer.

Their Master hadn't made Greed faster than him; just stronger, more durable.

"I don't understand alchemy," Greed continued. Greed liked to hear himself talk, but for all his casual gestures and movements, the lazy brandied drawl in his voice, he never took his eyes off Envy. Smart. "Never really did, so I don't know what any her diagrams and notes mean."

Envy shifted. Greed had broken into Master's lab, her archives, and he'd just admitted it to Envy. Greed was gambling. Envy straightened his back and dropped his arms, drawing up to his full height. Greed was still taller than him, but it was the arrogance that counted.

"What is it you _want_?"

Greed grinned. "Everything."

Envy waited for clarification. Greed stared at him, smirking. Envy grimaced; Greed and his fucking _games_, the piss. "What?"

"You heard me. Everything." Greed prowled closer, licking the blood from his lips. "Money. Fame. Women, wealth, power, and…everything." He ran his fingers—human fingers again, not the black-tipped claws—along Envy's jaw. Envy fought not to jerk away. He felt sick again, for an entirely different reason. Envy was used to charming the pants and dresses off people, he wasn't used to people trying to charm _him_. He was even less used to it working. Not even Lust had managed it, _none_ of the Lusts, and Greed was just some fucking newbie _mistake. _

_He _was one who blended in. _He _was the perfect spy, bridge between one world and the other; Pride and Lust couldn't stop being what they were long enough. They didn't have the control, the _discipline_ he had. They didn't have his skills, his abilities. Envy was special, different from the other Sins, he was _versatile_ and funny and charming and beautiful.

It'd been Greed they'd paid attention to. Greed.

"What about the Stone?"

"That too," Greed murmured, very close. Then he blinked and refocused on Envy's face instead of his crotch. "When our Master has what she needs, we'll be able to go after bigger fish. We'll all benefit."

"And you'll be able to become human?" Envy tried not to shiver, to keep his eyes open when nails scratched lightly over his bare side. His mouth was dry, and what passed for blood was rushing through his veins, making him dizzy.

Greed chuckled, "Why would I want to do that? I_ asked_ to be made this way."

Envy did startle, partly because of the words and partly because Greed's hand was running over the back of his thighs and cupping his ass.

"What?" Greed inquired against his throat, lips dry and chilly. Envy shivered and closed his eyes, clenching his fists. He'd killed the first Lust in bed; that fact made him feel relaxed enough not to mind Greed's teeth. Greed's _smell, _however—whiskey brandy rum leather sex—was driving him mad.

"When the devil offers you a deal," Greed murmured, "there's only one thing to say."

"Yes?"

Greed crushed his body and forced his mouth open. Envy struggled, kicking open his personal space until he had room to grab Greed's head and shove his tongue down his throat, cutting himself on Greed's teeth and feeling Greed's lips and tongue eat him alive and groaned, genuinely hard for the first time in fifty years.

Greed's hair in his fingers felt good, stiff and soft, wet in places with blood and Envy pulled and ripped at it arbitrarily, running his palms over Greed's throat that was too thick and too strong to break with his bare hands. Sharp teeth shaped like a shark's bit his lips and Envy was surprised to find his body twitching and groaning at the sensation, rubbing itself against Greed's broad chest. Since when had he liked pain? Since when had he liked the sharp feeling? It was hard to breathe; Greed's smell was swallowing him whole.

Then Envy found himself flying through the air and hit the bed cluttered with dirty books and fluffy toys. He kicked junk off of it as he spun around, ready for another fight or another grope, whichever came first. Greed was aggravatingly satisfying like that.

Clothes were stripped off as Greed stalked forward, the carbon shield dropping to his waist before his kicked off his boots and climbed into bed, grabbing Envy's ankle and dragging him closer.

Envy forgot to fight for himself when those arms crushed him again, forgot to stand up for his personal space and superiority when Greed's shark teeth began biting at his mouth and neck again until Envy was scratching Greed's back mindlessly, squirming and panting. Even the first Lust had shown him more respect than _this,_ even though the idiot had been half-crazed with itself by the time they hit the bed. Greed didn't show respect to _anyone_, didn't fear _anything_—Envy arched up and choked on a sound, lipping Greed's ears and jaws and throat and mouth for the heady liquor taste coating the surgical alcohol—and Greed was crazy enough to go after _everything. _

For some, there are no limits.

Yanking and tearing, Envy's hands got Greed's pants off his body and wrapped one leg around his waist while his palm felt Greed's bare ass. Bare-naked _skin. _Hard and smooth under his palm, not human-soft or gentle, and Envy's hand gripped hard while he bit his lower lip, arching up again as Greed's hips rubbed against his crotch like a cat. Envy grinned above, head tilted back to give Greed better access to his neck, reshaped his knee and free hand into something bone-hard and _very _spiky-sharp and brought his knee up hard while his hand attacked from the rear.

Both hit and scraped against the carbon shield, harder than Lust's nails, and Envy whined in his throat, grimacing before jerking away.

Greed chuckled again and darted to grab Envy's hands before they could reach his face. Envy could mimic Lust's nails, but he hadn't been _designed_ with the over-abundance of elements that made those nails as strong as they were. Envy could only mimic a weaker version.

Greed was grinning again, smirking, while Envy pouted. It was a good pout too; a full-bodied rose blossom pout.

"C'mon," Greed rumbled. "I'm greedy, not stupid. Did you really think I trusted you _that_ much?"

"You let me get _this_ close," Envy pointed out, complaining and panting. His eyes were wide and soft, throat bobbing when he swallowed hungrily. "I _am_ going to kill you."

"Promises, promises," Greed stroked the inside of his wrist, against his gloves, sounding giddy and amused. Envy hadn't even tried to get naked, and Greed had been too busy groping and grinding against him to strip him. "You say it, but you don't mean it."

Envy blinked, surprised. It was easy to be surprised with Greed. "You _want_ to die?"

"I want everything," Greed repeated.

Envy stared, his face going thoughtful and blank. Greed's own face was sharp but unreadable, and Envy was _good_ at reading faces. Envy blinked. Whoever, _whatever_ Greed had been while he'd been alive, he'd been _good_ at it. Formidable. Even now, he reeked of power that none of the other Lusts or Prides or Sloths had had. Gluttony had never had it, and the one Wrath they had had been criminally insane, not powerful.

Envy blinked.

Everything meant…everything. Absolutely everything.

Envy blinked again.

Wow. Damn.

Envy's shoulders relaxed and his body went limp. He smiled ruefully, and let his clothes disappear into his skin. Greed waited a moment, watching carefully. 

Envy's smile turned into a grin, and he leaned up slowly until he could run his lips against Greed's throat, kissing and nipping gently over his collarbone. One of his hands was released and he ran it over Greed's back, fingering the alchemy leylines and nodes; they were useless to him, he couldn't do anything with them. He tongued the side of Greed's throat and groaned low, eyes falling shut.

Greed tasted the way all the other homunculi did: a chilly chemical film instead of sweat with a tang of salt, but there was a vague aftertaste of cigar smoke, of liquor. Greed's wide hand stroked along his spine until he shivered and arched into it, then swiped across his thighs, making his stomach quiver and jerk. Envy's hips jumped naturally, normally, nothing staged and nothing planned, grinding hungrily until Envy nearly screamed because Greed had grabbed his cock hard. Greed's teeth muffled his noise, and Envy beat down the impulse to be grateful while his body flew on blood and sweat, the smell of liquor getting soaked with the smell of sex.

Despite himself, despite his best intentions, Envy was enjoying himself. He wanted this: the inhuman strength, the human stupidity and aptitude, charm, comforting pragmaticism. It was different, it was new, it was _powerful_ and fun and dangerous.

Greed's lips bruised his neck, drew lines with his teeth into his shoulders and chest, but for all his careful seduction and Envy's eager moans, he never let go of Envy's other arm. Envy had to grin at that while he panted and jerked, moaning; smart. Very smart. Then Greed's hand left his cock and Envy would've torn his throat open if Greed hadn't been gripping his wrists. Greed's hand—huge monstrous thing, a field hand's hand, a predator's hand—was big enough to hold both his slender wrists tight, and Envy was never sure _why_ that turned him on; it just did.

Greed rolled them until they were side by side, one leg between Envy's thighs and his hand on Envy's stomach circling and pressing, making Envy bite into Greed's shoulder until he drew blood or arched against him, squirming and panting softly. How long since he'd gotten off? _Seriously_ gotten off, and not just acted and come for some other motive? How fucking--?

Envy stretched and shouted, digging his fangs in _deep_ to hide the sound, hips thrusting mad against Greed's grip that was almost _warm_ from the friction, almost living and _warm. _

Greed growled encouragingly in his ear, excitedly, squeezing and sliding his hand _painfully_ slowly, biting and tonguing Envy's ear until he was twisting and arching indiscriminately, arbitrarily.

Greed grinned.

Envy dug his nails in and tried not to remember. He couldn't help groaning, tensing and freezing; he even allowed himself to feel _grateful_ for a few seconds after the orgasm came and left him bobbing in the aftermath, but he'd be _damned_ if he remembered anything.

Greed was still grinning when Envy opened his eyes, his teeth forcibly extracted from Greed's chest. Greed swiped a hand spattered in white and red down Envy's chest possessively, looking damn pleased with himself while still aroused.

At his best, Envy tried to look annoyed and only came out looking--

"You really are cute."

"Fucker," Envy slurred back, sighing comfortably against the sheets before smiling gently. That had been nice. That'd been very nice. And it was better if Greed underestimated him; he could stand a little condescension, if it meant Greed was going to lower his guard some.

All Greed did, however, was begin to touch himself, eyes locked half-lidded and curious on Envy's face. Envy was, again, momentarily baffled; Greed was touching himself but it was Envy's reaction he was getting…then Envy grinned challengingly, and jerked one hand free to trail down.

Greed grinned back.

He let his eyes close when Greed leaned forward to kiss him gently, tenderly, while his fingers explored. Not much point in fighting now; he was too relaxed too really want to get in another fight. And Greed wouldn't openly attack him—the attack would come from the side, or from behind, from somewhere Envy wasn't expecting it. But not from the front, and that was comforting.

But Greed _had_ been an adult when he been killed; Lust would love to get his claws on this one by the size of it, if he hadn't already. The blood and Envy's own spatter made the slide smooth, not quite _liquid_ smooth, but gritty smooth over an erection rather thicker and longer than Envy was used to. It was warmer than Lust's had been as well, and—Greed groaned into his mouth, breaking away to hide in the crook of his shoulder, his free hand stroking Envy's spine hard, red streamers blossoming from his nails.

Envy gave a small smile and let his fingers flutter, explore the head and press into the indent before trekking down and downward, rubbing his thumb over the sac and rubbing his legs against Greed's, twining their knees together.

Greed would be louder too. And probably more enthusiastic.

"For someone who's greedy," Envy rolled them over warily, slowly, until he could straddle Greed's body comfortably and lick his sternum. "You sure do give a lot." Greed grinned again, and pushed his head down, again without respect, without fear, and he _knew_ Envy was a traitor and he was just so_ reckless_ it was _wonderful_.

Envy didn't fight, tasting Greed's stomach, rippled and darker than his, finding the chemical-taste stronger than before licking the slopes along his hips. Greed squirmed under him, making small noises, still not letting go of Envy's wrist that he squeezed and clenched and relaxed as his body did. His hair hid his face like this, so Envy glanced up, not very surprised to find that Greed was still watching him cautiously, eyes slightly unfocused and panting heavily, licking his lips. Greed would probably never stop looking like a predator, like a killer, and something tiny but white-hot flew up Envy's chest until he blushed.

He hadn't blushed in ages. Lust had neve—-_no one_ had had ever made him do it naturally. He'd acted it out because it made him adorable, but he'd never done it naturally before. Never.

Greed grinned and pushed down, chest heaving.

Envy swallowed faster than he meant to, more hungrily than he wanted to show but Greed hissed loudly and arched and Envy threw dignity, more or less, to the wind. Greed wanted a lay? Fine; Greed would get a damn _fine_ lay, and he'd use every trick he had, from bobbing to light sucking, scraping his dull teeth over the thin skin and tasted blood, even though he hadn't broken the skin.

The old bat had really pumped Greed full of power, full of energy and half-Stones, rich enough that Envy could _taste_ it from Greed's skin and sweat. The same energy that thrummed through him, that kept him moving and vertical came off Greed in waves. Greed was soaked in life; even normal _humans_ weren't soaked with this much life, didn't taste this rich, not even Envy had been given this much of the Stone and the witch had drummed Greed_ full_--

Envy worked his throat hard, worked his lips and tongue hard, working hard to impress, _wanting_ to impress because everyone liked Greed and was it so much to ask that Greed like him? Worship him? Give him his due adoration?

There might've been better ways to gain all that besides having Greed's cock shoot off in his throat, the white stream going on and on until Envy thought he was going to die the most degrading mortifying death in all history. It was the sort of death Lust had to worry about, not him, never him, but Greed didn't give a fuck about him and didn't give a fuck about the rules either.

Perhaps Greed wasn't the anomaly here; perhaps it was him. After all, Envy had let him do it. Had wanted him to do it. Not all of it, but a lot of it.

He could never break rules like that; the unwritten ones their Master punished for violating, the ones that always brought unpleasant consequences. Envy was far too aware of how fleeting life was, how easily their half-rotten life could be taken away from them; he'd killed too many homunculi, his brothers and sisters, _not_ to know.

Then Greed sighed, or made some type of sound that sounded like the ocean at daybreak and Envy felt himself blush again all the way to the roots of his hair.

Arms pulled him up, wrapped around him and tucked him close and for some strange odd reason he felt _safe_; possibly because his hands were free and in the region of Greed's abdomen and his shield was down. But possibly also because Greed was breathing into his hair and holding him gently, sweetly, and smelled, strangely enough, like sherry. One long finger was stroking his spine slowly and Greed was happy. Greed had been impressed. Satisfied. Now he wanted to hold on to what had made him happy, for a short while.

Envy hated himself.

He was two hundred years old, a hardened killer, turncoat, and fratricide. He wanted to kill his…well, the people who said they'd _known_ him before he'd changed, before he'd become Envy, before he'd become perfect. Beautiful. He didn't need anyone's approval, anyone's care. He _deserved_ everyone's admiration and worship, but he didn't _need_ it. He didn't _need _anything or anyone.

He liked the way Greed was holding him, and didn't fight. He closed his eyes and since he couldn't argue his way out, played the whole event off.

"Did you really ask to be made like this?" Envy asked, strangely comfortable under Greed's heavy weight. For all his experience, it just didn't seem _right_, asking for a life like this. But everything about Greed seemed to inspire horrified fascination, so maybe it wasn't that unusual.

"Yes," Greed muttered against his shoulder.

"Why?"

There was a pause, then Greed levered himself up on one elbow, studying Envy with the amicable treachery of con men everywhere. "I was dying," he said simply.

Envy studied him carefully, thoroughly. Greed—whoever he had been before—hadn't been young. But their Master didn't actually _call_ the transmutations into being, she just collected them after they already existed and gave them names, shapes, and purpose. Cheaper that way, more profitable.

"You're lying."

Greed's expression didn't twitch, not even in his eyes. "Maybe. But so are you."

"About what?"

"Everything," Greed grinned paternally, protectively.

Envy stared, baffled. That wasn't exactly _true_, but it wasn't exactly _wrong_ either. And Greed had to be suicidal if he thought Envy _liked_ him now, just because he'd let him fuck him and enjoyed it. Instead he grinned back, satisfied that his shit-eating smirk was _way_ more smug than Greed's, and pulled him down for another kiss.

"Can I ask you something?"

"No."

"Were you really turned on back then or was that an act too?"

"…I'm not answering that."

"I'm serious, this is important."

"I'm not answering that."

Pause.

"I thought I was good. You probably don't get laid enough."

"I hate you."

Silence.

"Ask you something else?"

"I'm leaving."

"How do you stand all that _hair_?"

A/N: I don't know why, and I know it's fucked up, but I kept on seeing Envy wanting a father-figure in Greed that Greed, actually, fills out pretty well.


	4. Complete Set

**Complete Set**  
R for language/violence  
Greed/Envy  
When Envy angsts, he gets seriously violent and evil. When Gluttony angsts, he gets soggy and wobbly. Putting the two together makes fireworks. Envy-centric, on loss and getting back.

For **thetower**, who does it all.

Gluttony had been a mess from the moment he'd been created—he nearly hadn't survived the resurrection. He retained the scars throughout his long existence; he never could tell the differences between the Lusts, the Sloths, never seemed to realize that he and Envy alone remained in stable bodies.

Gluttony was pleasurably uncomplicated—he didn't want a whole lot of different things, he just wanted a lot things he could shove in his mouth. Gluttony would never question his existence, his purpose, he never questioned himself or his own perfection because…his head just wasn't big enough. Gluttony was like a big dog; ravenous, a little stupid, and a little soppy.

Envy had tried to kill Gluttony once. He'd been in one of his black moods; the second Lust was dead, Sloth was moping, and Greed had…

…Envy had been in a very black mood.

Killing Gluttony had been like stabbing a gummi bear, like hitting a water bag. There wasn't much point in mutilating something already so ugly, of hurting the oaf when it was whining for Lust, stupid leather-chasing Lust, and there was no real way to take away his naïveté. Still, that was no excuse not to try.

"He didn't like you anymore."

Gluttony's empty pig eyes stared at Envy. Gluttony had been chewing on a chair nervously; only two wooden legs remained. Envy crouched on his heels, trying to appear as helpful and non-offensive as possible. The posture probably wasn't necessary—Gluttony was fairly malleable (when there was a Lust to direct him) and never questioned Envy. He never trusted Envy because even big dogs and bears have survival instincts, but he never questioned him.

"He left because you made him angry."

Envy always considered himself a work of art, and something of an artist when it came to taking things apart, to dumbing things down. It wasn't until later he realized he'd been practicing the perfection of his craftsmanship on himself.

"You got boring. He isn't coming back for you. Lust isn't coming back at all."

The words might not have been registering in Gluttony's thick head at all, but since he'd stopped whining and moaning for Lust and actually kept Envy's gaze, Envy felt there was reason to be optimistic.

Gluttony remained focused, a strange event.

"Want back," Gluttony's high childish voice sounded more feminine than usual. It was also more significant than his usual demand for grub or Lust. "Want back."

Envy was still, and then cocked his head to one side, like a bird considering a particularly strange species of insect. He wondered if anyone had caught on that he'd killed Lust. Well, anyone except the dead Lust, himself, and that bastard Gre--

Then he tried stabbing Gluttony and kicking him around, finding the whole experience as satisfying as kicking around a water balloon. Gluttony _was_ strong underneath all that blubber, extremely strong and powerful, but the fighting back just wasn't happening. Gluttony was more likely to run away than actually fight back. Greed would've--

A pillar exploded as Gluttony was smashed through it.

The blood was cold on Envy's hands, and as much as he hated to admit it, this just wasn't doing it for him. This wasn't fun. Not here. Not now.

Gluttony was whimpering.

For a second, Envy's face turned ugly; real ugly, then he slipped into something a little more comfortable and went to the fat man's side and placed one hand gently on one wide shoulder. Gluttony was refreshingly different under his hands—not hard and rangy, not muscular or tall, just so very _different_. 

"Hey," Envy whispered quietly, smiling wanly, eyes seductively low. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay now; it's all right," his voice was pitched low like sweet marijuana smoke, Lust's leather pants feeling strange and confining on his legs. His mouth hurt. He'd forgotten—no, he'd never really _realized_ how tall this Lust was. At least Lust's hair had been long, liquid soft and deepest black.

Gluttony's whimpering slowed down, then stoppered and rose into a high wail as he snuffled into Envy's shoulder in Lust's form. Gluttony was chilly and refreshingly round and smooth to hold. Envy looked away, realizing how they must look to an outsider.

No matter what he did, Envy's shape shifting never actually _fooled_ Gluttony. He identified all the Sins by smell, not by form; that was why their Master confused him so when she shifted bodies. Gluttony wasn't fooled now, but he wasn't letting go, wasn't jerking away from Lust's hands on his back even though he knew they belonged to Envy. He knew better than to trust Envy, but missed Lust so much…

Envy rolled his eyes, and remembered the craftsmanship, the journey towards perfection.

Fathers always despised cowardice.

Snuffling, Gluttony raised his face and looked into Greed's grinning mug, patting his back gently.

"Sorry sweetheart," Envy rolled Greed's words like gold marbles over leather, one hand trailing down Gluttony's chest and belly. "But with the prices he offered me, I just couldn't refuse."

One hand buried itself up the elbow in Gluttony's belly, the other diving in to widen the hole while Envy tried to hold on with his knees, ignoring the high schoolgirl screams and the huge hamhocked hands yanking his head off. Envy pulled one hand out, gripping three of the red jewels in his fist. An arm like three baseball bats roped together with ducktaped whacked the side of his head repeatedly, and even with the strength of Greed's bull-neck he was starting to feel the strain.

Two more red jewels in his grip.

High screams in his temples, one hand lost to keep Gluttony's maw from chomping on his head and melting it off, the other hand digging deeper, harder through thick bulbous organs filled with room temperature blood and lymph.

It was getting harder to hold on with his knees, Gluttony's saliva was dripping on his shoulders, burning holes in Greed's leather vest and fur collar and Envy's flesh, flat hippopotamus teeth gnawing through his arm, digging for just _two more_ jewels because Envy needed a complete set _damn it, Greed_ had gotten a complete set out of his stomach just before he'd kissed him goodbye and he wasn't _settling_ for second-best agai--

"Envy!"

Envy jumped back and Gluttony's arm caught him in the side of his chest, shattering something. He didn't open his hand, the red stones fiercely hot against his palm. Their Master appraised him with the quick shocked-annoyed-wary glance she'd perfected for him (only she'd used it on Greed too) while Gluttony got to his feet. Envy glowered at Gluttony for a moment, then slipped out of Greed's form to his own, crossing his arms and glancing away pointedly.

"Gluttony! Leave."

"Lust--"

"Lust had to go away on a mission for a while. He'll be back with us shortly."

"Envy--"

"Go eat something now," Envy smirked bitterly when Gluttony was cut off again. He'd never let himself be pushed aside so easily. "You'll feel better."

There was a silence as Gluttony glanced back from their Master to Envy bewildered and hurt, holding his stomach. Envy didn't meet anyone's eyes; he was too busy trying to squeeze the Stones through the skin of his palms so his body could absorb them before they could be taken.

He deserved the full-set. He deserved the full-set and more.

"Go," their Master repeated in a gentle, maternal voice.

There was gentle flopping footsteps as Gluttony waddled away, understanding on some base level that he wasn't going to get more and not sure how to push. Envy didn't tense; wasn't the time, he was better than that. Clipped neat footsteps came closer to him.

"Envy."

Was he supposed to look up at that? Confess? _Care? _Hell, creating Greed had been _her_ moronic idea, not his, never his. Creating a homunculus that was so damn _reliant_ on another like Gluttony was on Lust, any Lust, from the stupid hormonal boy to the improved older recently-deceased version was _also_ her stupid idea, not his.

"You realize you could go after him."

The smirk hurt his face; he couldn't help it coming. Another brilliant idea.

"Or you can mope here, as before. However, you are not allowed to destroy your brothers. The choice is yours."

"Is it?" he surprised himself. He wasn't completely sure what he _meant_ by the question, but he had to stand up for himself somehow like Gluttony couldn't. He met her gaze from the corner of his eyes; she didn't even look _bothered_. By anything.

She probably knew he'd killed Lust. Probably. Like she knew he'd killed the others.

"And what would I do with him when I found him? Bring him back here? He couldn't be controlled before," _that was your fault your fault you can't make _anyone_ stay you can't do _anything_ you're nothing but a liar a goddamned liar! _

Envy kept his voice even, streamlined like a rifle design and just as warm. "Kill him? I could've done that here; besides, it's a shame to waste someone that good in bed. And he wasn't made exactly _vulnerable_." _We both had him in bed and you couldn't control him. You made him to kill _me. Me.

_He betrayed us both. He hurt _you. _I can afford to let him run a bit more. _

"Envy," their Master murmured gently, chidingly, a faint smile on her lips. "There is another way to kill homunculi. The only way. There is no defense against it."

"And you'll teach it to me?"

"Of course."

_When the devil offers you a deal--_

With the prices he offered me for my soul, how could I--

--There's only one right thing to say. 

"Cool," Envy grinned brightly. The rubies had melted into his skin; he only need two more to complete the set. "When do we start?"

_First I love you, then I hate you,  
Then I love you more_  
--Celine Dion (weird, I know, these things happen).


	5. Rivalry

**Rivalry**  
_FMA_  
Envy/Wrath  
PG 13 for language  
Humor, aggravated Envy, happy Wrath. Happy Wrath is a good thing, and not done enough. Strange severe humor, not exactly dark despite the violence

Written for yumeno shiro, who knows.

Homunculi were not family people. They weren't even group-people, and depending on who you asked, not even people at all.

_Click-clickety-click-clickety-clic-clic-chick. _

Envy flicked the barrel chamber on the gun to hear the rattle. He looked out the train window, blank and thoughtful. Dark forests and fields smudged by with the speed of the train and the rain. The car was empty.

_Click-clickety-click-clickety-clic-clic-chick. _

He'd tried leather straps. He'd tried metal chains. He'd tried bribery and threats and violent coercion. In the end none of it worked, and he'd shoved Wrath out the window, disappointed when the little rat grabbed a ladder two cars down instead of smashing on the floor, but had been too apathetic to do more.

_Click-clickety-click-clickety-clic-clic-chick. _

Rain lashed against the window, coming inside through the smashed window. Envy's eyes drooped. Even his hair seemed to sulk.

Homunculi, like the Sins and evils they'd been named after, didn't exactly _need_ to sleep or eat, but such bad habits are hard to break for even the vilest of dark demon lords who liked to keep a bed and fluffy pillow handy when torturing others became a bit too much.

Envy could've really have gotten to know a fluffy pillow, right then. Even one with white lace on the edges. Even a pillow with happy chubby animals on it. He could've been friends with a fluffy pillow, right then.

The missions hadn't been _exactly_ trying, but he'd been mortally shot a couple times and regenerating was never pleasant. Greed had liked it, the sick fuck, but Greed was dead now and…

The silence deepened for a few minutes.

After some laboring, Envy managed to shift on the leather seat, creaking and breaking the silence.

It wasn't like he cared. He'd promised he'd killed him. He kept his promises. He always kept his promises.

Envy rolled the barrel chamber again.

_Click-clickety-click-clickety-clic-clic-chick. _

…and Greed, unsavory and unfaithful as he was, had been an _adult_. Who could get _drunk_. And shut _up_, on demand.

He'd been with Wrath for a little over three days. He'd strangled the brat twice, shot him once, stuffed him full of whatever chemicals or poisons he had on hand and made the mouse spontaneously combust, and mortally stabbed him four times. Envy, in return, had been drowned once, smashed twice, exploded once, and had been tackled, punched, and snuggled enough to make him vomit.

He was going to make Sloth _hurt_. Oh…_How_ he was going to make Sloth _hurt_.

He'd come up with nine different possible revenge ideas, and hadn't even _started_ on fine detail. He hadn't picked one. He was considering doing all revenges at once, but wondered if that might be tasteless overkill. He disliked tastelessness. He disliked Wrath. He didn't like Sloth, but she was a handy scapegoat.

Envy's finger twirled the barrel chamber again, and found his hand empty.

No. It wouldn't be overkill. It would be mercy.

"I'm going to knot your arms behind your neck. And break every bone in your body. Three times."

Nothing. Not even a giggle.

"Go _away_. Go," Envy waved his empty hand listlessly, still staring out. "Go kill someone. Or terrorize people. Just don't stop the train."

Silence.

Something _poked_ his shoulder. Envy fought not to tense. Or scream.

He could kill Wrath. Oh, he could kill Wrath _easily_ in unpleasant ways, make the little rat _scream_ for mercy. Not even Lust or Pride aggravated him this much—not even _Greed_ had been (almost) this bad! Even Gluttony—fat cowardly subhuman _Gluttony_ had the brains _not_ to _intentionally_ piss him off!

Wrath did not have Gluttony's brains. Wrath had no brains at all.

The problem with killing Wrath—the _real_ problem, not what their Maker or Sloth or Lust would scold—was that it took _effort_. Work. His hair would get messy and his composure wouldn't be icy mocking perfection while he was throttling Wrath's spine. And that was only fun for so long.

Three days. Three fucking days and three damned nights.

Envy's hand slumped at his side, resigned that its toy wasn't coming back. Too tired to go after it, too tired to get indignant, and hoping Wrath would drop dead and _stay_ dead somehow, someway. His shoulder was poked again.

Envy's eyebrow twitched.

Maybe if he ignored it, it would just go away…? Did that actually work? Not on him, true, but then this was _Wrath_ so maybe…

Envy closed his eyes.

_Go away. Go away go away and _die and stay_ dead this time. Go away. _

Nothing. Blessed silence.

The gun was replaced in his hand.

Envy opened one eye, the one closest to the glass.

Shrieks exploded behind him, the glass exploded beside him, the gun exploded in his hand and arms exploded through the seat on either side of him, grabbing his middle either tickling, jabbing, or groping him. The arms turned to empty brown leather husks when he grabbed them and snapped their wrists, yanking them from the upholstery.

Wrath appeared five seats down from him, bouncing ecstatically on the seat and giggling a high ear-bleeding screech.

"Play! Play play play play--"

Envy held himself down. He glared daggers. Chasing him only encouraged him. Fighting made the little bastard _happy_.

Had Greed really been worse? Had he? At least Greed had been good in bed, if nothing else.

"—play play play--"

Of course he could always ignore him. And go insane. Or _not_ ignore him, and go insane anyway. The tick in his eyebrow grew worse.

"—play play pla—yeeee!"

Envy gave chase. Why not? Moot point.

Wrath shrieked and bounced wildly over the tops of the rows, darting underneath him when Envy got close and melting through the car sides and roof when Envy started smashing and tearing things apart arbitrarily.

Bits of foam floated down and rolled into corners and something bony and furry landed on Envy's shoulders, yanking backwards on his neck. Envy's fingers, curled into claws, dug into Wrath's skinny shoulders and yanked overhead, completely forgetting about _not_ letting Wrath touch the floor until the blue-white light began fizzing.

Wrath rarely thought about things—he wasn't much of an alchemist, but he did have the innate homunculus ability to cause as much destruction in the minimum amount of time.

When Envy 'woke up', he had a three foot spike poking out of his stomach. It was metal with bits of leather twined inside it. He stood up groggily, feeling crappy and pissy and drained. His head pounded and his throat had been coated with yellow gunk. There was blood on his stomach. And legs. And skirt. He closed his eyes, counted slowly while shifting his skin and clothes so the blood disappeared. He exhaled.

There was a _giggling_.

Sometimes, you have no choice. It's a painful thought, but sometimes, you really have no choice.

This was something else their Master shouldn't know about.

"Okay! Fine! You win, all right! You win!"

The words didn't cost him as much as he thought they would—it was only Wrath he was surrendering to, and Wrath didn't count. Besides, he was lying.

"Liar liar pants on fire sitting—you're not _wearing_ pants," Wrath confided giggling, mad eyes wide.

Envy stared, deadpanned and speechless. Killing Wrath would be a mercy; unfortunately, he hadn't planned ahead. Next time, next time.

"Ummm," Wrath's head popped up and his face scrunched up. "Promise? Promise-promise?"

"Sure," Envy shrugged—the hairball was incapable of speaking whole sentences. "Promise. You win. Be happy. Shut up."

Wrath ducked and peered at him over his fingers, too-wide eyes blinking owlishly. Envy waited for semi-intelligent discourse, either boasts (which Greed would have done) or suspicion (which the new Lust would've done, the old hag had finally made one right) then rolled his eyes and plopped on a clean seat with a sigh. He propped his chin on his palm and went back to staring out the rain, adopting his old posture effortlessly.

Quiet.

He could hope, right? The little shit thought he'd won, so there was nothing to do anymore, so he'd go _away_, right? Wasn't so much to ask for, a little solitary time?

Something poked his shoulder.

Envy stopped breathing.

A child's hand, small and soft, _covered_ his shoulder.

Envy closed his eyes. The twitch started again.

He could grab the wrist, pull and _twist_ and when the arm snapped off he could _beat_ the little monster to death with it. But supposing it was Edward's arm he grabbed? The runt wouldn't be able to do alchemy anymore, he'd be powerless, useless. Their Master would be _pissed_ if that happened…

Tempting.

Envy managed not to sigh.

So very, very tempting.

He opened his eyes again and glanced at his reflection in the glass. The hand hadn't left his shoulder. Wrath was crouched on the seat next to him, watching him avidly. Envy blinked.

Wrath resembled an animal more than a human; a small animal with too much eyes and hair and not much else. Greed had been rather animalistic—hadn't bothered justifying his urges or thinking on what it had meant to be human or not human, he'd just followed his name and gone after what he wanted until he got it. Simple. Beautiful. So damn…

He'd been happy, when he heard Greed was dead. He'd been very, very happy. He still was.

Envy looked away, back at the smudged trees and gray lake water under the bridge. "Do what you want, just don't touch--"

Another hand went to his knee. Wrath's little snubbed nose was about three inches from his face. Envy didn't twitch. They'd played this game before too.

_Games. _The little bastard actually had him playing _games_.

Like the last time, Wrath didn't say anything; a small miracle. Like the last time, he didn't stop staring obsessively through the tangle of his hair at Envy's face. Like the last time, Envy avoided his gaze, refused to be disturbed, refused to acknowledge _anything_, and tried really, really hard not to scream.

Like the last time, Envy lost. "What?" he spat tersely.

"You're pretty."

Envy blinked. Since when did Wrath speak intelligently? Speak sense?

Envy turned his head slowly, hoping whatever poison or sedative finally taking effect would keep. Wrath was uncomfortably close; their _hair_ touched. Envy felt his skin crawl; Wrath was in his personal _space_, they were not social creatures, and Wrath was crawling with more diseases and parasites than a suave metropolitan sewer rat.

Envy sneered, "I know. Stop touching me."

Wrath didn't run away.

Envy stared. Wrath blinked, grinned evilly, and darted to stretch out on Envy's lap. Although 'stretch out' was stretching the truth; his head was in the region of Envy's lap and the rest of him was poised to jump. Envy didn't move. Wrath's hair was touching his stomach and _knees_; Envy didn't grimace, didn't flinch because who _knew_ when Wrath had washed his hair, if he even knew how, but turned his head to plop it back on his palm, keeping one eye on the rain and the other on Wrath.

By degrees—slow tentative degrees—Wrath relaxed.

He could break his neck easy. It was over his thigh. He could strangle him…

…And be back to square one when the brat revived.

"What do you _want_?" For a minute, Envy forgot he was talking to Wrath, not Greed. Not Greed. Greed was dead.

Wrath blinked, and let himself settle completely. He weighed almost nothing. His legs hung off the seats edge.

"I'm tired."

Had any of the Lust's pulled shit like this? No. Any of…? Greed had pulled plenty, but at least Greed had been _interesting_, a surprise. Wrath was _young_, boring, and dull. But Wrath felt pain and he hurt the kid plenty of times (Envy was mildly proud of his own perseverance) so…was Wrath really that stupid? Or just suicidal like Greed?

"Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"You didn't leave," Wrath said simply, with what Envy considered to be his usual stupidity. Wrath squirmed until the back his head was nestled against Envy's stomach, legs kicking up blue alchemy until the seat and floor rearranged itself so Wrath could curl his legs under him comfortably.

Then for all intents and purposes, Wrath closed his eyes.

He'd be living up to his name if he slaughtered the ankle-biter for resting when he couldn't, for taking advantage of him, his _body_, when there was no one for Envy to take advantage of. He'd also be ruining whatever chance he had of relaxing.

Envy considered, and overruled himself. He remembered the fluffy pillow. There'd be time to sin later, no harm done.

But…he hadn't, had he? He strangled, shot, strapped, and poisoned the brat, but…it had never crossed his mind to just leave, and not because he wouldn't have done it either, he just…hadn't thought of it. It wasn't an act in his normal repertoire. It wasn't something he _did. _

Wrath was young, and one of the things it was easy to forget about youth was that it happened to _everybody_. It had happened to Envy. He'd been the first. And he'd been alone.

If Greed had done this, he would have attacked by now. Whether or not he could've brought Greed down was a different story, but Wrath…didn't count, somehow. Besides, it was all a lie. They weren't family people; weren't group people. They were alone, but he alone had been the first.

Half-curiously, like he didn't care (and he didn't), Envy stroked his fingers over Wrath's hair. Thick stuff, somewhat coarse, but mostly baby-soft. Thankfully, miraculously, not sticky or tangled with crap.

"I didn't leave." Envy considered. "I don't leave."

He wasn't even sure he _could_ abandon things. If he even had a--

He pushed the hair away until he could see Wrath's temple and put a very light lingering kiss there. The boy didn't wake. He smelled like rain and vaguely of wet dog. Not like Greed at all—natural, earthy, reliably _there_. Somewhat human. Envy sighed, and pressed another kiss Wrath's cheek, then touched the spot with his fingertips to touch Wrath's lips.

Envy stared out thoughtfully for some minutes, then began to look around for something heavy he could bend around Wrath. The next body of water they passed—be it lake or river—he was dropping Wrath into it like a stone, a good old hit-man style disposal.

With love, of course. But whoever said love was a good thing?


End file.
